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Lightning strikes damage several homes in West Seattle

A lightning storm moved across the Seattle area Saturday evening, with the bolts intensifying over West Seattle.

Several people say it damaged their homes.

"It felt like a bomb, like literally someone lit off a bomb," said Derek Wheaton, who says he's lived in West Seattle for more than 30 years.

Lightning hit a tree in his backyard and also damaged an overhang, leaving a scorched mark. It also shattered windows and ripped off a gutter.

"It was a really big light flash, and then immediate shaking where it just felt like the whole house was about to fall apart. Just very intense, booming sound, ears ringing," Wheaton said.

The strike primarily impacted their mother-in-law unit.

"It knocked stuff over in the house, and then we started smelling smoke from the power source," Wheaton said.

Neighbors next door share a similar story.

"We were sitting down eating dinner, and all of a sudden, it literally like hits you and stuff starts flying off the wall. Your hair stands up, and my husband goes, "Oh my God, we just got hit by lightning," said Richelle Stanko, who is also in West Seattle.

The lightning caused three small holes in her ceiling, sending a spray of drywall over the computer and floor.

Downstairs, the surge of electricity shattered a large mirror and knocked pictures off the walls. It also knocked over a large potted pant outside.

"They were saying it was a whole line of lightning, it went house to house to house," Stanko said.

It's the second lightning storm to hit our area in five weeks. A storm on September 7 dropped more than 2000 bolts of lightning between 6 and 11p.m. in Western Washington.

"This is twice in a row," said Armondo, who lives about a block away from the homes hit. He says lightning struck his neighborhood too.

"Saw a huge lightning bolt, appeared to be across the street with a simultaneous explosion and electricity went out," Armondo said. "It shook the house," he said.

Luckily, no one got hurt in the storm.